Discovery of palmatine derivatives as potent neuroprotective agents.

Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the presence of neurodegenerative lesions and cognitive impairment. In this study, a series of novel palmatine derivatives were designed and synthesized through the introduction of a heteroatom using carbodiimide-mediated condensation. The synthesized compounds were then screened for toxicity and potency, leading to the identification of compound 2q, which exhibited low toxicity and high potency. Our findings demonstrated that compound 2q displayed significant neuroprotective activity in vitro, emerging as a promising candidate for Alzheimer's disease treatment.

Myocardial tissue-specific Dnmt1 knockout in rats protects against pathological injury induced by Adriamycin.

Novel molecular mechanisms of the pathophysiology of heart failure (HF) are continuously being discovered, including epigenetic regulation. Among epigenetic marks, the role of DNA hypomethylation in shaping heart morphology and function in vivo and the pathogenesis of cardiomyopathy and/or HF, especially in adults, has not been clearly established. Here we show that the strong expression of DNA methyltransferase 1 (Dnmt1) is obviously downregulated in the WT adult rat heart with age. By contrast, the expression of Dnmt1 is upregulated suddenly in heart tissues from pressure overload-induced HF mice and adriamycin-induced cardiac injury and HF mice, consistent with the increased expression of Dnmt1 observed in familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (FHCM) patients. To further assess the role of Dnmt1, we generated myocardium-specific Dnmt1 knockout (Dnmt1 KO) rats using CRISPR-Cas9 technology. Echocardiographic and histopathological examinations demonstrated that Dnmt1 deficiency is associated with resistance to cardiac pathological changes and protection at the global and organization levels in response to pathological stress. Furthermore, Dnmt1 deficiency in the myocardium restricts the expressional reprogramming of genes and activates pathways involved in myocardial protection and anti-apoptosis in response to pathological stress. Transcriptome and genome-wide DNA methylation analyses revealed that these changes in regulation are linked to alterations in the methylation status of genes due to Dnmt1 knockout. The present study is the first to investigate in vivo the impact of genome-wide cardiac DNA methyltransferase deficiency on physiological development and the pathological processes of heart tissues in response to stress. The exploration of the role of epigenetics in the development, modification, and prevention of cardiomyopathy and HF is in a very preliminary stage but has an infinite future.

Long-term treatment with ivabradine in transgenic atrial fibrillation mice counteracts hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide gated channel overexpression.

INTRODUCTION: Recent studies have demonstrated that ivabradine (IVA), is a selective inhibitor of funny current (If) and exerts antiarrhythmic effects in the settings of various diseases such as heart failure and myocardial ischemia. However, little is known regarding the effects of long-term IVA treatment on If current and hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide gated (HCN) channel overexpression. METHODS AND RESULTS: We investigated both the If current and HCN channel expression in wild-type (WT) mice and transgenic (TG) atrial fibrillation (AF) mice (heart-specific overexpressing of (pro) renin receptor TG mice) and examined the effects of IVA on the If current and HCN channel expression, and whether those effects were sufficient to prevent an AF episode. Compared with WT mice, the If current density (at -170 mV: TG, -39.6 ± 4.6 pA/pF; WT, -26.9 ± 3.0 pA/pF; P < 0.001) and activation kinetics (V1/2 : TG, -109.45 ± 1.35 mV; WT, -128.20 ± 1.65 mV), as well as HCN2 and HCN4 messenger RNA expression and HCN4 protein expression were significantly increased in the atrial myocytes of TG mice. After 4 months of IVA treatment (7 mg/kg per day orally) the effects of IVA on TG AF mice were accompanied by the inhibition of upregulation of HCN2 and HCN4 protein expression in atrial tissue, and then resulted in a uniform If loss of function. Furthermore, we observed that ivabradine significantly decreased the incidence of AF in the TG mice (41.2% in TG mice, 16.7% in TG + IVA mice; P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: IVA reduced the incidence of AF in mice, and the antiarrhythmic effects of IVA are not limited to heart rate reduction, as they partially counteract HCN overexpression and reverse electrophysiological cardiac remodeling by attenuating If gain-of-function.

Discovery and anticancer evaluation of a formononetin derivative against gastric cancer SGC7901 cells.

Background Gastric cancer (GC) is the second most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Novel anticancer drugs against gastric cancer are urgently needed. Methods Compound 10 was designed and synthesized via a molecular hybridization strategy based on the natural product formononetin. It was evaluated for their antiproliferative activity against three gastric cancer cell lines (SGC7901, MKN45 and MGC803). Results Derivative 10 displayed potently antiproliferative activity with an IC50 value of 1.07 µM against SGC7901 cells. Derivative 10 could inhibit the growth and migration against gastric cancer SGC7901 cells through the Wnt/ß-Catenin and AKT/mTOR pathways. From the in vivo expremints, it could effectively inhibited SGC7901 xenograft tumor growth in vivo without significant loss of the body weight. Conclusion Derivative 10 is an novel antitumor agent with potential for further clinical applications to treat gastric cancer. Graphical abstract.

Down-regulated paxillin suppresses cell proliferation and invasion by inhibiting M2 macrophage polarization in colon cancer.

The paxillin and M2 macrophage are all involved in cell proliferation and tumor progression, and this study aims to explore the interaction between them in colon cancer and the role of paxillin in cancer progression. Expression of mRNAs and proteins was determined by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot, separately. Endogenous expression of genes was modulated by recombinant plasmids and cell transfection. The levels of cytokines were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The cell viability, invasion and migration were detected using the MTT assay, the transwell assay and the wound-healing cell migration assay, respectively. A nude mouse model for human colon cancer was constructed for tumor orthotopic expression. Paxillin was up-regulated in tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). Paxillin was up-regulated in process of M2 macrophage polarization. M2 macrophage polarization was inhibited with paxillin suppressed. Down-regulated paxillin inhibited cell proliferation and invasion in colon cancer through suppressing M2 macrophage polarization. PI3k/Akt inhibitor repressed M2 macrophage polarization through down-regulating paxillin. PI3k/Akt inhibitor inhibited the function of the macrophage in promoting cell proliferation and invasion of colon cancer through down-regulating paxillin. Down-regulated paxillin in macrophages inhibited tumor growth of colon cancer. With the PI3K/AKT pathway inhibited, down-regulated paxillin suppressed colon cancer cell proliferation and invasion by inhibiting the M2 macrophage polarization, thereby restraining the tumor progression.

Monitoring response to gefitinib in nude mouse tumor xenografts by (18)F-FDG microPET-CT: correlation between (18)F-FDG uptake and pathological response.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to investigate whether (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) micro-positron emission tomography-computed tomography (microPET-CT) can be used to monitor a metabolic response to gefitinib in nude mouse tumor xenografts. METHODS: Sixteen nude mice were implanted with human A431 epidermoid carcinoma cells and ten with human A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells, and the tumors were allowed to grow to an approximate size of 150 mm(3). Ten and five of these mice, respectively, received intragastric gefitinib (100 mg/kg) once daily for 14 days, whereas six and five, respectively, received sterile water. Tumor metabolic activity was assessed by (18)F-FDG microPET imaging before treatment (day 0) and on days 2, 7, and 14. Tumor uptake of (18)F-FDG was determined from a region-of-interest drawn around the tumor, and the maximum percentage injected dose per gram (%ID/gmax) was calculated. Tumor volume measured on day 14 by microCT was used to categorize tumors as sensitive, stable, or resistant to gefitinib, and pathologic changes in these tumors were analyzed. RESULTS: On day 2, the average changes in (18)F-FDG uptake by A431 tumors sensitive, stable, and resistant to gefitinib were -30.92% ± 6.66%, -5.68% ± 6.95%, and 7.72% ± 3.85%, respectively (P < 0.05 each), with no significant differences in the sizes of tumors sensitive and stable to gefitinib (P = 0.169). On day 7, sensitive tumors were significantly smaller than stable tumors (P = 0.034). On day 14, areas of necrosis were observed in gefitinib-sensitive tumors, with tumor necrosis ratios differing significantly among the sensitive, stable, and control groups (P < 0.05 each). In mice implanted with A549 cells, however, tumor (18)F-FDG uptake, volume, and percent necrosis did not differ significantly between gefitinib-treated and untreated mice on days 0, 2, 7, and 14 (P > 0.05 each). CONCLUSIONS: F-FDG uptake is a sensitive method of detecting metabolic changes in tumors associated with therapy in vivo.

Efficacy of radiofrequency ablation combined with sorafenib for treating liver cancer complicated with portal hypertension and prognostic factors.

BACKGROUND: Patients with liver cancer complicated by portal hypertension present complex challenges in treatment. AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of radiofrequency ablation in combination with sorafenib for improving liver function and its impact on the prognosis of patients with this condition. METHODS: Data from 100 patients with liver cancer complicated with portal hypertension from May 2014 to March 2019 were analyzed and divided into a study group (n = 50) and a control group (n = 50) according to the treatment regimen. The research group received radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in combination with sorafenib, and the control group only received RFA. The short-term efficacy of both the research and control groups was observed. Liver function and portal hypertension were compared before and after treatment. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), glypican-3 (GPC-3), and AFP-L3 levels were compared between the two groups prior to and after treatment. The occurrence of adverse reactions in both groups was observed. The 3-year survival rate was compared between the two groups. Basic data were compared between the survival and non-surviving groups. To identify the independent risk factors for poor prognosis in patients with liver cancer complicated by portal hypertension, multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed. RESULTS: When comparing the two groups, the research group's total effective rate (82.00%) was significantly greater than that of the control group (56.00%; P < 0.05). Following treatment, alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels increased, and portal vein pressure decreased in both groups. The degree of improvement for every index was substantially greater in the research group than in the control group (P < 0.05). Following treatment, the AFP, GPC-3, and AFP-L3 levels in both groups decreased, with the research group having significantly lower levels than the control group (P < 0.05). The incidence of diarrhea, rash, nausea and vomiting, and fatigue in the research group was significantly greater than that in the control group (P < 0.05). The 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates of the research group (94.00%, 84.00%, and 72.00%, respectively) were significantly greater than those of the control group (80.00%, 64.00%, and 40.00%, respectively; P < 0.05). Significant differences were observed between the survival group and the non-surviving group in terms of Child-Pugh grade, history of hepatitis, number of tumors, tumor size, use of sorafenib, stage of liver cancer, histological differentiation, history of splenectomy and other basic data (P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that high Child-Pugh grade, tumor size (6-10 cm), history of hepatitis, no use of sorafenib, liver cancer stage IIIC, and previous splenectomy were independent risk factors for poor prognosis in patients with liver cancer complicated with portal hypertension (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Patients suffering from liver cancer complicated by portal hypertension benefit from the combination of RFA and sorafenib therapy because it effectively restores liver function and increases survival rates. The prognosis of patients suffering from liver cancer complicated by portal hypertension is strongly associated with factors such as high Child-Pugh grade, tumor size (6-10 cm), history of hepatitis, lack of sorafenib use, liver cancer at stage IIIC, and prior splenectomy.

Newly developed TGF-ß2 knock down transgenic mouse lines express TGF-ß2 differently and its distribution in multiple tissues varies.

BACKGROUND: Transforming growth factor-betas (TGF-ßs), including beta2 (TGF-ß2), constitute a superfamily of multifunctional cytokines with important implications in morphogenesis, cell differentiation and tissue remodeling. TGF-ß2 is thought to play important roles in multiple developmental processes and neuron survival. However, before we carried out these investigations, a TGF-ß2 gene down-regulated transgenic animal model was needed. In the present study, expressional silencing TGF-ß2 was achieved by select predesigning interference short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) targeting mouse TGF-ß2 genes. RESULTS: Four homozygous transgenic offspring were generated by genetic manipulation and the protein expressions of TGF-ß2 were detected in different tissues of these mice. The transgenic mice were designated as Founder 66, Founder 16, Founder 53 and Founder 41. The rates of TGF-ß2 down-expression in different transgenic mice were evaluated. The present study showed that different TGF-ß2 expressions were detected in multiple tissues and protein levels of TGF-ß2 decreased at different rates relative to that of wild type mice. The expressions of TGF-ß2 proteins in transgenic mice (Founder 66) reduced most by 52%. CONCLUSIONS: The present study generated transgenic mice with TGF-ß2 down-regulated, which established mice model for systemic exploring the possible roles of TGF-ß2 in vivo in different pathology conditions.

Necrotizing myositis causes restrictive hypoventilation in a mouse model for human enterovirus 71 infection.

BACKGROUND: Enterovirus 71 (EV71) infections are associated with a high prevalence of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in children and occasionally cause lethal complications. Most infections are self-limiting. However, resulting complications, including aseptic meningitis, encephalitis, poliomyelitis-like acute flaccid paralysis, and neurological pulmonary edema or hemorrhage, are responsible for the lethal symptoms of EV71 infection, the pathogenesis of which remain to be clarified. RESULTS: In the present study, 2-week-old Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice were infected with a mouse-adapted EV71 strain. These infected mice demonstrated progressive paralysis and died within 12 days post infection (d.p.i.). EV71, which mainly replicates in skeletal muscle tissues, caused severe necrotizing myositis. Lesions in the central nervous system (CNS) and other tissues were not observed. CONCLUSIONS: Necrotizing myositis of respiratory-related muscles caused severe restrictive hypoventilation and subsequent hypoxia, which could explain the fatality of EV71-infected mice. This finding suggests that, in addition to CNS injury, necrotic myositis may also be responsible for the paralysis and death observed in EV71-infected mice.

Naringin Enhances CaMKII Activity and Improves Long-Term Memory in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

The Amyloid-ß (Aß)-induced impairment of hippocampal synaptic plasticity is an underlying mechanism of memory loss in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in human and mouse models. The inhibition of the calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) autophosphorylation plays an important role in long-term memory. In this study, we isolated naringin from Pomelo peel (a Citrus species) and studied its effect on long-term memory in the APPswe/PS1dE9 transgenic mouse model of AD. Three-month-old APPswe/PS1dE9 transgenic mice were randomly assigned to a vehicle group, two naringin (either 50 or 100 mg/kg body weight/day) groups, or an Aricept (2 mg/kg body weight/day) group. After 16 weeks of treatment, we observed that treatment with naringin (100 mg/kg body weight/day) enhanced the autophosphorylation of CaMKII, increased the phosphorylation of the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic (AMPA) receptor at a CaMKII-dependent site and improved long-term learning and memory ability. These findings suggest that the increase in CaMKII activity may be one of the mechanisms by which naringin improves long-term cognitive function in the APPswe/PS1dE9 transgenic mouse model of AD.

Cardiac-specific Trim44 knockout in rat attenuates isoproterenol-induced cardiac remodeling via inhibition of AKT/mTOR pathway.

When pathological hypertrophy progresses to heart failure (HF), the prognosis is often very poor. Therefore, it is crucial to find new and effective intervention targets. Here, myocardium-specific Trim44 knockout rats were generated using CRISPR-Cas9 technology. Cardiac phenotypic observations revealed that Trim44 knockout affected cardiac morphology at baseline. Rats with Trim44 deficiency exhibited resistance to cardiac pathological changes in response to stimulation via isoproterenol (ISO) treatment, including improvement of cardiac remodeling and dysfunction by morphological and functional observations, reduced myocardial fibrosis and reduced expression of molecular markers of cardiac stress. Furthermore, signal transduction validation associated with growth and hypertrophy development in vivo and in vitro demonstrated that Trim44 deficiency inhibited the activation of signaling pathways involved in myocardial hypertrophy, especially response to pathological stress. In conclusion, the present study indicates that Trim44 knockout attenuates ISO-induced pathological cardiac remodeling through blocking the AKT/mTOR/GSK3ß/P70S6K signaling pathway. This is the first study to demonstrate the function and importance of Trim44 in the heart at baseline and under pathological stress. Trim44 could be a novel therapeutic target for prevention of cardiac hypertrophy and HF.

Neurotrophin expression in neural stem cells grafted acutely to transected spinal cord of adult rats linked to functional improvement.

It is well known that neural stem cells (NSC) could promote the repairment after spinal cord injury, but the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated. This study showed that the transplantation of NSC significantly improved hindlimb locomotor functions in adult rats subjected to transection of the spinal cord. Biotin dextran amine tracing together with the stimulus experiment in motor sensory area showed that little CST regeneration existed and functional synaptic formation in the injury site. Immunocytochemistry and RT-PCR demonstrated the secretion of NGF, BDNF, and NT-3 by NSC in vitro and in vivo, respectively. However, only mRNA expression of BDNF and NT-3 but not NGF in injury segment following NSC transplantation was upregulated remarkably, while caspase-3, a crucial apoptosis gene, was downregulated simultaneously. These provided us a clue that the functional recovery was correlated with the regulation of BDNF, NT-3, and caspase-3 in spinal cord transected rats following NSC transplantation.

Ginsenoside-Rb1 and tetramethylpyrazine phosphate act synergistically to prevent dilated cardiomyopathy in cTnTR141W transgenic mice.

Ginsenoside-Rb1 (Rb1) is known to be partially associated with the inhibition of heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor (HB-EGF). Tetramethylpyrazine phosphate (TMPP) inhibits the activation of the calcium/calmodulin/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (Ca²âº/CaM/CaMKII) pathway. The α-myosin heavy chain cTnT(R141W) transgenic mouse was previously reported as a model for dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), and it was used to test the effects of combinations of Rb1 and TMPP in reversing the progression of DCM and the potential mechanism. Survival, echocardiography, histologic features assessed the effectiveness of Rb1 and TMPP treatments. Western blot and reverse transcription polymerase chain reactions were used to determine expression levels of certain genes. This study clearly demonstrated that treatment with a combination of Rb1 and TMPP could inhibit the expression of HB-EGF, calmodulin1 (Calm1), and calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II beta (Camk2b). Rb1 alone mainly reduced the expression of HB-EGF, and TMPP alone mainly reduced the expression of Calm1 and Camk2b. Treatment with Rb1 and TMPP had synergistic effects on the amelioration of chamber dilation, contractile dysfunction, interstitial fibrosis, and ultrastructural degeneration in cTnT(R141W) mice when compared with the results of treatment with Rb1 or TMPP alone, and those were probably due to the inhibition of both HB-EGF and the Ca²âº/CaM/CaMKII pathway.

Crucial roles of NGF in dorsal horn plasticity in partially deafferentated cats.

Though exogenous nerve growth factor (NGF) has been implicated in spinal cord plasticity, whether endogenous NGF plays a crucial role has not been established in vivo. This study investigated first the role of endogenous NGF in spinal dorsal horn (DH) plasticity following removal of L1-L5 and L7-S2 dorsal root ganglions (DRGs) in cats. Co-culture of chick embryo DRG with DH condition media, protein band fishing by cells as well as western blot showed that NGF could promote neurite growth in vitro. Immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization technique revealed an increase in the NGF and NGF mRNA immunoreactive cells in the DH after partial deafferentation. Lastly, after blocking with NGF antibody, choleragen subunit B horseradish peroxidase (CB-HRP) tracing showed a reduction in the neuronal sprouting observed in the DH. Our results demonstrated that in the cat, endogenous NGF plays a crucial role in DH plasticity after partial deafferentation.

Evodiamine improves congnitive abilities in SAMP8 and APP(swe)/PS1(ΔE9) transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer's disease.

AIM: To investigate the effect of evodiamine (a quinolone alkaloid from the fruit of Evodia rutaecarpa) on the progression of Alzheimer's disease in SAMP8 and APP(swe)/PS1(ΔE9) transgenic mouse models. METHODS: The mice at age of 5 months were randomized into the model group, two evodiamine (50 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1) and 100 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1)) groups and an Aricept (2 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1)) group. The littermates of no-transgenic mice and senescence accelerated mouse/resistance 1 mice (SAMR1) were used as controls. After 4 weeks of treatment, learning abilities and memory were assessed using Morris water-maze test, and glucose uptake by the brain was detected using positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT). Expression levels of IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α in brain tissues were detected using ELISA. Expression of COX-2 protein was determined using Western blot. RESULTS: In Morris water-maze test, evodiamine (100 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1)) significantly alleviated the impairments of learning ability and memory. Evodiamine (100 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1)) also reversed the inhibition of glucose uptake due to development of Alzheimer's disease traits in mice. Furthermore, the dose of evodiamine significantly decreased the expression of IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α, and COX-2 that were involved in the inflammation due to Alzheimer's disease. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that evodiamine (100 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1)) improves cognitive abilities in the transgenic models of Alzheimer's disease.

Metabonomics study of brain-specific human S100B transgenic mice by using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry.

For the purpose of investigating the effects of S100B on the development of Parkinsion's disease (PD), a high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS-ESI-TOF) metabonomic approach was established to study the mesencephalon profiling of brain-specific human S100B transgenic mice. In order to obtain more full-scale chemical information of metabolites, two kinds of separation mechanism, including reversed-phase (RP) column chromatography and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) column, were combined to use. Acquired data were subjected to principal component analysis (PCA) to investigate the effects of S100B protein on mice mesencephalon metabolite profiles. Potential biomarkers were screened by using Mass Hunter Prossional Profiller (MPP) and were identified by the accurate mass. Twelve metabolites in mesencephalon of S100B transgenic mice were identified as potential biomarkers, among which, glutamic acid (Glu) detected by RP/MS in negative ionization mode, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and tryptophan (Trp) detected by HILIC/MS in positive ionization mode, phenylalanine (Phe) and histidine (His) detected by HILIC/MS in negative ionization mode, related to metabolic pathway of neurotransmitters in mice central nervous system. The analytical technique used in this paper was able to detect biochemical changes in mesencephalon of S100B transgenic mice, which may be helpful to understand the action mechanism of S100B protein in the development of PD.

[Predicting clinical chemo-sensitivity of primary ovarian cancer using adenosine triphosphate-tumor chemosensitivity assay combined with detection of drug resistance genes].

OBJECTIVE: To predict clinical chemotherapy sensitivity of primary ovarian cancer by jointing adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-tumor chemo-sensitivity assay (TCA) method in vitro and detection of drug resistance genes, provide reference for clinical treatment. METHODS: Forty-seven primary epithelial ovarian tumor samples were collected from the patients who received cytoreductive surgery. Viable ovarian cancer cells obtained from malignant tissue were tested for their sensitivity to carboplatin (CBP), cisplatin (DDP), paclitaxel (PTX) and CBP + PTX using ATP-TCA method in vitro; at same time, real-time quantitative PCR was used to analysis BRCA1 and ERCC1 mRNA relative expression in forty-six specimens (1 frozen tumor samples mRNA were not detected due to serious degradation). The relationship between ATP-TCA test results, clinical indicators, and the effectiveness of the joint prediction on clinical chemo-sensitivity by combining these two methods were statistically analyzed using chi-square test. RESULTS: (1) The results showns that three programs of DDP, CBP and PTX + CBP were significantly related with clinical results (P < 0.05) in vitro, in which the compliance rate in PTX + CBP program was the highest 83% (39/47), and the predictive sensitivity, predictive specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and predictive accurate rate were 90%, 71%, 84% and 80%, respectively. PTX + CBP combined in vitro test results was also related with residual tumor size and neoadjuvant chemotherapy, which was more prone to drug resistance with residual tumor larger than 2 cm (P = 0.023) and with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (P = 0.011). (2) BRCA1 mRNA expression levels in the clinical-resistant group and the clinical-sensitive group was 0.673 ± 2.143 and -1.436 ± 2.594 (P = 0.008), ERCC1 mRNA expression levels in the clinical-resistant group and the clinical-sensitive group was -0.529 ± 1.982 and -3.188 ± 2.601 (P = 0.001). There were also significant correlation among the expression levels of BRCA1, ERCC1 mRNA and clinical efficacy (P < 0.01). (3) ATP-TCA and detection of drug resistance genes combined to predict the clinical application of PTX + CBP resistance may occur in 8/9 cases. CONCLUSIONS: ATP-TCA may be an ideal method of in vitro drug sensitivity testing method, which could effectively predict clinical chemotherapy sensitivity. Combination of the drug-resistant associated genes detection method and the ATP-TCA method can increase the predictive effectiveness of ovarian cancer chemosensitivity and guide individual chemotherapy of ovarian cancer.

The cross-reactivity of the enterovirus 71 to human brain tissue and identification of the cross-reactivity related fragments.

BACKGROUND: EV71 occasionally cause a series of severe neurological symptoms, including aseptic meningitis, encephalitis, and poliomyelitis-like paralysis. However, the neurological destruction mechanism was remained to be clarified. This study described the cross reaction between EV71 induced IgG and human brain tissue. RESULTS: Cross reaction of the IgG from 30 EV71 infected patients' sera to human tissues of cerebra was observed, which suggested that some EV71 antigens could induce IgG cross-reactivity to human cerebra. To identify the regions of EV71 virus that containing above antigens, the polypeptide of virus was divided into 19 peptides by expression in prokaryotes cell. Mouse anti-sera of these peptides was prepared and applied in immunohistochemical staining with human adult and fetus brain tissue, respectively. The result indicated the 19 peptides can be classified into three groups: strong cross-reactivity, weak cross-reactivity and no cross-reactivity with human brain tissue according the cross reaction activity. Then, the increased Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) permeability and permits IgG entry in neonatal mice after EV71 infection was determined. CONCLUSION: EV71 induced IgG could enter BBB and cross-reacted with brain tissue in EV71 infected neonatal mice, and then the peptides of EV71 that could induce cross-reactivity with brain tissue were identified, which should be avoided in future vaccine designing.

Protective action of tetramethylpyrazine phosphate against dilated cardiomyopathy in cTnT(R141W) transgenic mice.

AIM: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the most common cause of heart failure, and pharmacological intervention is not currently available. Here we investigate the effect of tetramethylpyrazine phosphate (TMPP) on the progression of DCM in the cTnT(R141W) transgenic mouse model. METHODS: The cTnT(R141W) transgenic mice aged 2 months were divided into model group and TMPP group, whereas age-matched nontransgenic mice were used as wild-type control. TMPP 45 mg.kg(-1).d(-1) was administered for 7 months. Following assessment of cardiac function by echocardiography, cardiac tissues were prepared for histology and electron microscopy. Levels of molecular markers for cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and fibrosis were detected by RT-PCR. Expression of structural proteins of the sarcomere and intercalated disc was determined by Western blot. RESULTS: TMPP significantly prevented cardiac dilatation and dysfunction with the development of DCM, and decreased mortality by 54%. TMPP decreased HW/BW ratios and expression of hypertrophic markers BNP and ACTA1, as well as reduced interstitial collagen deposition and expression of profibrotic markers Col1a1 and Col3a1. TMPP attenuated ultrastructural disruption caused by cTnT(R141W) expression and decreased expression of structural proteins myotilin and E-cadherin which were up-regulated in the cTnT(R141W) heart. Moreover, TMPP reduced the mRNA expression of Calm1 and Camk2b in the cTnT(R141W) heart. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that TMPP could be a promising drug for prevention and treatment of DCM.

[Effects of simvastatin on the proliferation of HepG2 cells].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of simvastatin on the proliferation, cell cycle and expression of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 protein in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells in vitro. METHODS: HepG2 cells were administrated with simvastatin. Proliferation of the cells was detected by MTT assay, cell cycle was measured by flowcytometry and the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 protein expression was detected by immunocytochemistry. The results were evaluated by factorial design and one-way analysis of variance. RESULTS: Simvastatin inhibited HepG2 cells growth in vitro (F(concentration) = 1264, P value less than 0.001; F(time) = 17.466, P value less than 0.001; F(concentration*time) = 35.053, P value less than 0.001) and could arrest HepG2 cells in G0/G1 phase of cell cycle. However, apoptosis of HepG2 cells was not obvious. Simvastatin could also increase cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 protein expression (F = 512.133, P value less than 0.001). CONCLUSION: Simvastatin can inhibit the growth of HepG2 cells in vitro, which may be explained by its effects of enhancing cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 protein expression and arresting HepG2 cells at G0/G1 phase of cell cycle.